November 04, 2018

Losing my Religion

Nikolaj Hübbe´s version of

August Bournonville´s

“Napoli”

Royal Danish Ballet

The Old Stage

November 3, 2018

Nikolaj Hübbe made his first Bournonville production, “La Sylphide” in 2003 before taking over as Artistic Director of the company. It was a fine, traditional production, where the only controversial change was the interpretation that only James was able to see the Sylph. In the older productions, James´rival Gurn, is also able to see her. This production made the RDB audience and reviewers certain that when Nikolaj Hübbe would take over as artistic director, Bournonville would be in very safe hands.

That was what it looked like for the first years of Nikolaj Hübbe’s tenure. Together with Thomas Lund, he created “Bournonville Variations”, an all-male compilation of Bournonville´s solo and divertissement, followed by a second set "Bournonville Fantasy", featuring the female variations. 2011 saw his production of ”A Folk´s Tale” and in 2014, he presented his most controversial Bournonville production “La Sylphide” , where he introduced Madge as a man and a former lover of James.

During Hübbe´s tenure, Ib Andersen has created a fine production of “Kermes in Bruges” which had only seven performances in tandem with Gudrun Bojesen´s “La Ventana”. Most of the Bournonville legacy has not been performed since the 2005 festival. The dancing School from “The Conservatoire” has had two short runs, the last danced in practice cloths. Clearly, Hübbe has gone of Bournonville. Luckily, Bournonville is still a key issue at the RDB School.

However, it came as a surprise for the Danish ballet community, that the festival earlier this year was so void of Bournonville productions. Only “Napoli” were performed in full length at the festival.

The Big Broom

Nikolaj Hübbe´s production of “Napoli” is controversial on many levels. The RDB marketing department uses Distortion as a catch phrase in the marketing materials. Anything relating to religion in the Bournonville material is scraped.

Where Bournonville created a story of the poor and pious young fisherman, Gennaro saved by his faith when in crisis, Hübbe´s hero is somewhat helped by a new age traveler. Why this interpoled character receives a fashion make over in the third act is beyond my understanding.

When this production was first out, my conclusion was that removing the religious content from Napoli did more than removing a few Ave Marias. It destroyed the dramatic base and reduces Napoli to an incoherent story with no dramatic core or reason. It is still the case.

Top Couple pays the Bill

However, the complaint does not stop here. The leading couple, Gennaro and Teresina is losing even more.

We all know that what we consider the standard “Napoli” owes probably much to Hans Beck, Bournonville artistic heir, who arranged and added more material, primarily from “Abdallah” to the third act. These interpolations have become an integrated part of the pas de six. The solos from Abdallah has over the years taken on the character of Gennaro and Teresina. When interviewing Alban Lendorf many year ago, when he was up for his first Gennaro, he stated: “I want my real solo. I have stood on the bridge as a young child an imagining myself in that solo”.

In the Hübbe version, Gennaro and Teresina has very little left from their normal lot. Their standard solos are now changed to some hashed up substandard material from the Bournonville schools, which do not provide the same impact as the rest of the ensembles and solos.

However, the new second act gives them some focus. The score by Louise Alenius and the use of lights and stagecraft appeals to the audience. In the powder room in the interval, the majority vote was that Ryan Tomash as the mysterious sea king Golfo, outshined Principal Jonathan Chmelensky decent Gennaro.

Kirsten Ralov and Dinna Bjørn have both reconstructed the second act earlier. including adding new choreography. It can of course be argued that the original score and libretto should have been reused for this production. In my view, it is not the second act that is the worst offence.

Jonathan Chmelensky have danced Gennaro before and knows how to maneuver through the challenges, while Holly Jean Dorger is new in the role of Teresina. Unfortunately, she is overacting dreadfully in her first scenes. Luckily, she finds a more normal timbre as the performance goes on and managed to present a coherent and charming Teresina for the rest of the performance. However, it hurts them both that Teresina and Gennaro gets so little attention and substandard material in this version.

Good Characters

As RDB has kissed goodbye to the regular group of Character Dancers and several other leading dancers have retired, one could fear that “Napoli” would lose some of it key moments. However, with grand performances by Benjamin Buza as Peppo, the lemonade vendor and suitor to Teresina and Oliver Starpov as the Pascarillo, the street singer who in Nikolaj Hübbe´s version is a transvestite, the level is high. Matteo de Loreto as Carlino, another performer also creates a fine miniature. For the part as Teresina´s mother, Louise Midjord, who retired a few years ago has returned and creates a fine Italian Mama.

The third act divertissement is casted from the top with fine performances by Tobias Praetorius, Andreas Kaas, Marcin Kupinski, Ida Praetorius, Kizzy Howard, Astrid Elbo and Wilma Giglio.

Any Future for Bournonville?

However, a fine performance of a problematic production cannot cure the real problem at Royal Danish Ballet. Which is to protect, perform and develop the Bournonville tradition. Nikolaj Hübbe may have turned cold to the challenge. He also has other important battles to fight like cut downs, securing the production line to the company, selecting new productions. etc.

The Bournonville tradition cannot survive being in storage for very much longer. Each year dancers, who was part of the 2005 festival (the last full run of the Bournonville productions) retires.

Looking at the rooster, there are only seven dancers in the company, who was part of the 2005 festival, eight if we count Ida Praetorius, who had the child role as Little Fanny in “The Conservatory.” At the Ballet School, Thomas Lund, Gudrun Bojesen and other veterans do what they can to teach Bournonville to the pupils. However, the pupils needs to see the real thing – and so does the audience – home and abroad.

When RDB performed at Jacob´s Pillow this summer it was the Bournonville content, especially the “Kermes Pas de Deux” who won the game. The decision to bring both Swan Lake pas de deux´s failed.

For the festival this summer, Nikolaj Hübbe chose to run a festival as a general come dancing experience. There were new ballets created to live rock music etc. However, there was very little focus on Bournonville and of dramatic dance. Hübbe chosed not to include his other Bournonville productions “A Folk´s Tale” and the controversial “La Sylphide”.

The last mentioned has not been performed for a significant period, so maybe Hübbe have written this production of. Several of the RDBs leading stars has not yet danced the leading roles in “La Sylphide” and “A Folk´s Tale”. As much as I would like to se the best dancers in “La Sylphide.” I have no wish to see them in the Hübbe version.

Nikolaj Hübbe has made great results for the Royal Danish Ballet and raised the bar for the company. In many respects, he had overperformed as Artistic Director. However, Bournonville needs no distortion. If he cannot give Bournonville his due, someone who can must be brought into play. This is an important issue.